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AGRICULTURAL  "^ 
LI6RARY, 

UNIVERSITY 
— OF — 

CALIFORNIA. 


Y.  B.  Separate  509. 


FARMING  AS  AN  OCCUPATION  FOR 
CITY-BRED  MEN. 

By 


W.  J.  SPILLMAN, 

Agriculturist  in  Charge  of  Office  of  Farm  Managementf 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


^  [From  Yearbook  of  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1909.] 


44342—10 


WASHINGTON   :  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE   :  1910 


<o^ 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Success  in  mercantile,  manufacturing,  or  transportation  enterprises 239 

Conditions  affecting  farmers 239 

Limited  opportunities  of  the  farm  laborer 240 

Conditions  the  city  man  must  meet  in  farming 240 

As  a  gardener  in  the  suburbs 241 

Some  instances  of  success 241 

Changed  conditions  in  recent  years 242 

Capital  required 242 

Equipment 243 

Types  of  farming 243 

Sources  of  information 244 

The  agricultural  experiment  stations 245 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 245 

Farmers'  institutes --- 246 

Movable  schools  of  agriculture 246 

Correspondence 246 

Agricultural  high  schools  and  colleges 247 

Books  on  farming 247 

Departmental  and  private  aid 247 

Advantages  of  a  farmer's  life 247 

n  M^hi   T.:b. 

A^ric    J3eyL 


FARMING  AS  AN  OCCUPATION  FOR  CITY-BRED  MEN. 

By  W.  J.   Spillman, 

Agriculturist  in  Charge  of  Office  of  Farm  Management, 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 

SUCCESS   IN   MERCANTILE,   MANUFACTURING,  OR  TRANSPORTATION   ENTER- 
PRISES. 

A  study  of  the  history  of  those  men  who  direct  the  affairs  of  large 
mercantile,  manufacturing,  and  transportation  enterprises  usually 
reveals  a  steady  progress  from  a  beginning  as  a  low-salaried  em- 
ployee step  by  step  to  positions  of  greater  responsibility,  and  finally 
to  the  position  of  directing  head  of  the  enterprise.  The  men  who 
thus  gradually  work  themselves  up  from  lower  positions  are  en- 
dowed with  the  spirit  of  work.  In  nearly  all  industries  of  the  classes 
mentioned  the  hours  of  work  are  so  limited  that  even  the  most  humble 
employee  has  some  time  which  he  can  devote  either  to  recreation  or  to 
study.  The  men  who  go  to  the  top  in  business  affairs  are  usually  those 
who  do  not  know  what  recreation  means,  but  spend  their  spare  time 
in  intelligent  preparation  for  greater  usefulness  to  their  employers. 
Many  instances  might  be  cited  where  men  who  are  now  directing 
large  enterprises  began  at  a  low  salary  in  a  position  requiring  hard 
work.  The  humblest  employee  in  such  lines  of  business  has  the  oppor- 
tunity, if  he  has  the  ability,  to  rise  to  a  high  position. 

CONDITIONS  AFFECTING  FARMERS. 

In  farming  it  is  different.  There  arfe  practically  only  three 
grades  in  this  business,  namely,  the  farm  laborer,  the  tenant,  and 
the  proprietor.  While  it  is  possible  for  the  laborer  to  become  a 
tenant,  and  then  by  careful  study  and  great  frugality  ultimately  to 
become  an  independent  proprietor,  or  even  to  become  a  proprietor 
directly,  in  a  small  way,  from  his  savings  as  a  farm  laborer, 
generally  speaking  there  is  not  the  opportunity  in  farming  for  the 
laborer  to  pass  by  gradual  steps  to  a  position  of  importance  in 
the  industry,  because  we  do  not  ordinarily  find  series  of  positions, 
with  graduated  salaries,  which  form  the  stepping  stones  for  the  am- 
bitious and  able  young  man.  In  the  first  place,  on  the  average  farm 
there  is  little  or  no  profit;  that  is,  if  we  count  out  wages  for  the 

272720  239 


240  YEAEBOOK    OF   THE  DEPARTMENT   OF   AGRICULTURE. 

farmer  and  his  family  and  interest  on  the  investment,  there  is  usu- 
ally no  balance,  and  on  many  farms  the  balance  is  on  the  wrong  side 
of  the  ledger. 

To  state  the  reasons  for  this  condition  of  affairs  would  lead  us  too 
far  away  from  our  present  purpose.  It  will  suffice  here  merely  to 
state  that  ordinarily  profits  in  farming  are  not  large,  and  that 
therefore  farm  wages  are  not  high.  It  takes  several  years  of  self- 
denial  and  careful  saving  for  the  farm  laborer  to  lay  by  enough  to 
become  a  tenant  or  a  small  proprietor.  Nevertheless,  this  has  been 
done  repeatedly  and  can  be  done  if  the  laborer  has  sufficient  intelli- 
gence and  determination. 

LIMITED    OPPORTUNITIES   OF   THE    FARM    LABORER. 

As  a  farm  laborer  a  young  man  has  some  chance  to  study  agri- 
cultural literature  and  to  learn  many  necessary  details  of  farming, 
without  which  knowledge  it  would  be  unwise  to  undertake  farming 
as  a  means  of  livelihood.  But  the  opportunity  for  study  on  the 
part  of  the  farm  laborer  is  not  as  great  as  it  ought  to  be.  Many 
farmers  attempt  to  overcome  low  profits  by  long  hours  of  labor 
instead  of  by  intelligent  study  of  the  details  of  their  business.  Com- 
paratively few  farmers  limit  the  hours  of  labor  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  time  for  a  proper  study  of  their  business.  Under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, therefore,  it  is  hardly  practicable  for  the  ordinary  city 
employee  to  become  a  farmer  through  the  position  of  farm  laborer. 
In  the  first  place,  even  the  farm  laborer  must  have  a  knowledge  of 
details  which  it  takes  some  years  of  experience  to  acquire,  in  order 
to  make  his  services  of  value  to  the  farmer.  In  the  second  place,  the 
standard  of  living  of  the  average  farm  laborer  would  greatly  dis- 
courage the  city-bred  family.  Yet  where  it  is  possible  to  secure 
employment  with  a  view  to  learning  the  details  of  farming,  it  is  wise 
to  do  so,  provided  the  city  man  who  is  trying  to-break  away  from  the 
city  and  get  on  to  the  land  has  the  courage  to  undergo  the  hard- 
ships incident  to  such  a  change — speaking,  of  course,  of  the  man  who 
has  little  or  no  capital  with  which  to  begin  business  for  himself. 

CONDITIONS   THE   CITY   MAN   MUST  MEET  IN   FARMING. 

It  is  still  less  feasible  for  the  city  man  with  no  knowledge  of 
farming  to  begin  as  a  tenant  farmer.  The  tenant  must  pay  rent 
and  must  know  how  to  farm  in  order  to  make  ends  meet.  To  move 
from  the  city  to  the  country,  with  no  capital,  would  appear,  there- 
fore, to  be  a  very  serious  undertaking,  and  the  writer  would  not 
advise  city  people  to  undertake  it.  However,  if  a  small  capital  has 
been  saved  up  the  move  can  be  made;  but  in  practically  all  cases 
the  beginning  should  be  made  not  as  a  farm  laborer  or  as  a  tenant, 
but  as  a  small  proprietor,  the  size  of  the  establishment  depending,  of 


FAKMING  AS   AN   OCCUPATION   FOR   CITY-BEED   MEN.  241 

course,  upon  the  capital  available.  It  is  a  good  plan  for  the  city- 
man  who  has  the  means  to  take  some  sort  of  course  in  a  school  of 
agriculture  as  a  preparation  for  farming.  Schools  of  this  kind  are 
multiplying  rapidly  in  this  country.  Every  State  has  its  agricul- 
tural college,  and  many  of  the  States  are  building  agricultural  schools 
of  secondary  grade.  The  latter  are  particularly  valuable  to  the  city- 
man  who  would  learn  how  to  farm,  as  they  give  more  attention  to 
the  practical  details  of  farming  than  the  colleges  do,  the  function  of 
the  agricultural  high  school  being  primarily  to  turn  out  men  fitted 
for  farming,  while  the  main  function  of  the  college  is  to  turn  out 
men  fitted  for  agricultural  investigation  and  teaching. 

AS   A    GARDENER   IN    THE    SUBURBS. 

Whenever  it  is  feasible  a  very  good  plan  for  the  city  man  who  has 
no  knowledge  of  farming  and  who  desires  to  become  a  farmer  is  to 
move  to  the  suburbs  and  begin  in  a  small  way  as  a  gardener.  At 
first  the  principal  aim  should  be  to  produce  truck  crops  for  home  con- 
sumption. As  experience  is  gained  the  industry  may  be  enlarged  and 
a  market  established.  Many  men  have  made  the  transition  in  this 
manner.  Others  have  started  with  one  or  two  cows,  and  have  let  the 
business  graw  from  the  profits  obtained  in  it.  Others  have  succeeded 
by  beginning  in  a  small  way  with  poultry  or  fruit.  The  knowledge 
gained  in  this  way,  both  as  regards  the  details  of  farming  and  concern- 
ing methods  of  marketing,  finally  enables  the  beginner  to  abandon 
his  city  employment  and  become  a  farmer. 

SOME   INSTANCES  OF   SUCCESS. 

A  few  men  have  succeeded  without  this  gradual  transition.  They 
have  moved  boldly  to  the  country,  put  their  capital  into  land,  and  by 
hard  work,  much  study,  and  exceedingly  frugal  living  for  a  few  years, 
until  the  business  has  been  learned  and  a  profit  assured,  have  been 
highly  successful.  Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  242  and  355,  issued  by 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  give  accounts  of  two 
farmers  who  have  succeeded  in  this  manner.  Such  changes  are 
usually  accompanied,  for  a  few  years,  by  the  severest  kind  of  hard- 
ship ;  but  if  the  man  is  intelligent,  a  close  observer,  and  not  afraid  of 
work,  it  is  possible  to  succeed  under  such  conditions. 

An  interesting  case  of  this  kind  came  to  notice  recently.  At  the 
Iowa  State  Corn  Show  in  1909  the  ear  of  corn  which  took  the  grand 
championship  prize,  and  which  sold  at  auction  for  $160,  was  pro- 
duced by  a  farmer  who  ten  years  previously  was  a  driver  of  a  laundry 
wagon  in  the  city  of  Des  Moines.  It  must  be  recognized,  however, 
that  men  who  have  thus  succeeded  have  invariably  been  men  of  un- 
usual ability. 


242  YEARBOOK   OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

CHANGED  CONDITIONS  IN  RECENT  YEARS. 

In  some  respects  it  is  more  difficult  at  the  present  time  to  break 
away  from  city  employment  and  establish  oneself  on  the  land  than 
it  was  a  generation  ago.  At  that  time  there  was  plenty  of  land  to  be 
homesteaded.  Especially  in  the  Middle  West,  where  most  of  this 
land  was  available,  the  soil  was  rich  and  its  fertility  needed  no  at- 
tention. It  did  not  take  long  for  the  beginner  to  learn  how  to  grow 
crops  successfully  on  this  rich  virgin  soil  and  to  make  farming  dis- 
tinctly profitable.  "WTien  good  land  w^as  thus  available  for  the  taking, 
thousands  of  farm  homes  were  successfully  established  by  men  having 
little  previous  knowledge  of  the  business.  At  the  present  time  there 
is  practically  no  desirable  land  left  for  homesteads.  The  beginner 
must  buy  land  usually  at  a  considerable  expense.  Not  only  that,  but 
in  most  parts  of  the  country  the  land  has  been  farmed  so  long  with- 
out attention  to  fertility  that  it  will  no  longer  produce  crops  by  the 
slipshod  methods  formerly  in  vogue.  Experience  and  a  knowledge  of 
principles  are  therefore  much  more  necessary  at  the  present  time  than 
was  the  case  a  generation  ago.  In  fact,  many  experienced  farmers 
to-day  are  not  making  a  good  living  for  the  simple  reason- that  they 
do  not  possess  the  knowledge  of  the  principles  involved  in  their  busi- 
ness, and  unfortunately  only  too  often  the  farmer  is  not  aware  of  his 
lack  of  knowledge.  The  city  man  has  the  advantage  that  he  realizes 
his  ignorance  and  is  willing  to  learn. 

On  the  other  hand,  agricultural  science  has  developed  wonderfully 
in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  and  the  literature  of  the  subject  is 
correspondingly  more  abundant  and  more  reliable.  Hence,  the  be- 
ginner may  receive  more  help  from  others  than  was  the  case  a  gen- 
eration ago.  The  sources  of  information  on  which  the  farmer  may 
draw  will  be  referred  to  more  specifically  later  in  this  article. 

CAPITAL   REQUIRED. 

No  definite  amount  of  capital  can  be  stated  as  a  sufficient  sum  on 
which  to  begin  farming  any  more  than  it  can  be  done  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  A  great  deal  depends  on  the  price  of  land  and  the 
magnitude  of  the  undertaking.  Just  as  the  merchant  may  begin  with 
a  modest  stall  and  a  few  dollars'  worth  of  goods,  so  the  farmer  may 
begin  with  1  acre  of  land  or  less,  on  which  he  may  raise  part  of  the 
food  for  his  family,  eking  out  a  living  by  working  part  of  the  year  for 
someone  else,  or  he  might  buy  a  large  farm  and  equip  it  fully.  It 
may  be  said,  however,  and  with  some  assurance,  that  the  man  with- 
out farm  experience  and  without  a  knowledge  of  the  principles  in- 
volved in  farming  who  starts  the  business  on  an  elaborate  scale  is 
foredoomed  to  failure  unless  he  is  so  fortunate  as  to  command  the 
services  of  a  trained  manager.    Furthermore,  it  is  next  to  impossible 


FARMING  AS   AN   OCCUPATION   FOR    CITY-BRED   MEN.  243 

to  secure  such  services.  Competent  farmers  are  usually  engaged  in 
business  for  themselves,  and  our  schools  of  agriculture  have  not  yet 
fairly  begun  to  supply  the  demand  for  men  of  this  class.  There  is 
hope,  however,  that  in  the  not  distant  future  many  young  men  with- 
out the  capital  to  start  into  business  for  themselves  will  be  trained 
for  the  management  of  agricultural  properties,  as  a  few  are  to-day. 
When  the  number  of  such  men  is  sufficient  to  meet  the  demand  we 
may  expect  an  important  development  of  large  agricultural  enter- 
prises. 

We  shall  not  attempt  here  to  deal  with  the  case  of  the  wealthy  city 
man  whose  farm  is  to  be  simply  a  country  home.  Usually  such  farm- 
ers spend  more  in  equipment  than  the  farm  can  ever  be  made  to  pay 
for..  It  is  our  aim  rather  to  deal  with  the  case  of  the  man  with  small 
or  moderate  means,  who  must  make  his  living  from  the  farm.  The 
first  and  most  important  principle  to  get  fixed  in  mind  is  that  of 
avoiding  unnecessary  expenditures.  The  commonest  mistake  of  the 
city  man  who  undertakes  farming  is  the  purchase  of  equipment 
which  is  not  necessary  to  his  business.  The  natural  impulse  is  for 
the  beginner  to  purchase  all  he  thinks  he  will  need.  It  is  decidedly 
the  best  policy,  at  least  until  one  has  become  experienced  and  has  a 
good  knowledge  of  what  equipment  is  necessary,  to  buy  nothing  not 
absolutely  essential  until  the  farm  begins  to  pay.  After  that  one 
may  do  as  he  likes  with  the  profits  of  his  farm. 

EQUIPMENT. 

The  question  of  farm  equipment  has  been  little  studied,  the  only 
deliberate  study  of  such  equipment  known  to  the  writer  being  that 
inaugurated  by  the  Office  of  Farm  Management  a  few  years  ago.  It 
is  a  very  complex  and  difficult  subject.  The  character  and  amount  of 
equipment  are  determined  by  many  elements,  such  as  climate,  the 
character  of  the  crops  grown,  the  kind  of  live  stock  kept,  the  character 
and  condition  of  the  soil,  and  the  extent  of  farming  operations  under- 
taken. Even  if  complete  knowledge  of  farm  equipment  were  avail- 
able, it  would  be  impossible  in  an  article  as  brief  as  this  to  outline  the 
subject  in  full,  because  it  is  too  extensive.  Yet,  when  the  farmer  has 
chosen  his  location  and  determined  upon  the  type  of  farming  he  is  to 
follow,  the  Office  of  Farm  Management  can  give  him  a  good  deal  of 
valuable  information  concerning  the  equipment  he  will  need.  We 
hope  at  some  future  time  to  have  an  ample  list  of  publications  on  this 
subject. 

TYPES   OF  FARMING. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  point  the  beginner  must  decide  is  the 
type  of  farming  to  be  followed.  This  question  is  discussed  at  length 
in  an  article  in  the  Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for 


244  YEARBOOK   OF   THE  DEPARTMENT   OF  AGRICULTURE. 

1908,  pages  351  to  366.  It  gives  a  general  discussion  of  practically  all 
the  types  of  farming  found  in  the  United  States,  and  suggestions  are 
made  about  those  types  best  suited  to  beginners.  There  is  also  some 
discussion  of  the  amount  of  equipment  required. 

One  important  consideration,  which  is  not  brought  out  in  the 
article  referred  to,  is  that,  if  in  a  community  the  farmers  generally 
buy  a  commodity  they  can  produce,  the  price  of  that  commodity 
will  be  high  and  its  production  profitable.  A  conspicuous  example 
is  found  in  the  tobacco  and  cotton  growing  regions,  where  the  farm- 
ers usually  buy  their  hay.  This  hay  is  produced  in  the  North,  and 
the  high  freight  rate  on  so  bulky  a  commodity  causes  it  to  be  high 
priced.  Occasionally  one  finds  in  those  regions  a  farmer  who  devotes 
most  of  his  energies  to  the  production  of  hay.  Such  farmers  usually 
make  more  money  than  their  neighbors  who  buy  hay.  In  fact,  hay 
growing  is  a  fairly  simple  type  of  farming  that  is  usually  profitable, 
and  there  are  extensive  regions  in  the  United  States  where  hay  grow- 
ing is  the  best  type  of  farming  for  the  beginner,  provided  he  has 
capital  enough  to  begin  on  a  considerable  scale.  The  principal  diffi- 
culties met  with  in  this  type  of  farming  are  that  considerable 
equipment  is  required  and  a  considerable  area  of  land  is  neces- 
sary from  which  to  secure  an  adequate  income  for  a  farm  family. 
The  curing  of  hay,  so  as  to  be  able  to  put  on  the  market  a  good  quality 
of  this  product,  is  also  something  which  can  not  be  learned  entirely 
from  books,  but  requires  considerable  experience  for  its  successful 
conduct.  On  the  other  hand,  the  hay  crop  is  fairly  certain  if  the 
right  crops  are  chosen,  and  if  large  yields  are  obtained  the  returns 
are  good. 

SOURCES  or  INFORMATION. 

Farming  requires  not  only  experience  but  a  great  deal  of  detailed 
knowledge  of  many  things.  For  instance,  one  must  be  able  to  judge 
when  the  soil  is  in  condition  to  be  plowed  or  tilled.  This  is  especially 
the  case  on  heavy  soils.  If  a  clay  soil  is  handled  while  it  is  wet  and 
dry  weather  supervenes,  the  soil  becomes  baked  into  hard  clods,  which 
rain  alone  can  pulverize.  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  is  plowed  when 
it  is  too  dry,  a  clay  soil  breaks  up  into  large  lumps,  on  which  it  is  of 
little  use  to  plant  any  kind  of  crop.  But  if  the  plowing  be  done  when 
the  soil  is  of  a  proper  consistency,  clay  soils  pulverize  readily  and  the 
subsequent  tillage  operations  are  simple.  On  sandy  soils  one  does  not 
need  to  give  so  much  attention  to  the  condition  of  the  soil  for  plowing 
or  tilling,  though  even  on  this  class  of  soils  some  experience  in  soil 
management  is  necessary  in  order  to  secure  the  best  results. 

The  farmer  must  also  understand  how  to  maintain  the  fertility  of 
the  soil ;  hence  he  must  have  a  knowledge  of  fertilizers,  of  manures, 
of  the  effect  of  lime,  etc.    He  must  also  know  the  nature  of  many 


FARMING  AS   AN   OCCUPATION   FOR   CITY-BRED   MEN.  245 

kinds  of  plants  and  understand  their  requirements.  In  practically 
all  kinds  of  farming  some  live  stock  are  necessary,  and  the  farmer 
must  know  how  much  shelter  these  stock  require,  what  kind  of  food 
they  need,  how  much,  etc.  He  must  also  know  the  time  to  plant  and 
to  harvest,  and  how  to  secure  and  manage  labor,  unless  he  is  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  be  able  to  dispense  with  hired  labor. 

Part  of  this  knowledge  may  be  obtained  from  books,  but  a  great 
deal  of  it  can  be  obtained  only  by  experience.  This  is  especially  true 
as  regards  knowledge  of  the  soil.  Even  the  agricultural  scientist  does 
not  yet  know  all  about  the  soil,  and  the  best  books  on  the  subject 
leave  much  to  be  learned  by  experience. 

In  most  communities  the  beginner  can  gain  much  information  from 
his  neighbors,  especially  about  the  time  of  planting  and  harvesting, 
when  the  soil  is  in  condition  for  plowing  and  tilling,  the  amount  of 
feed  necessary  for  his  live  stock,  etc.  On  the  other  hand,  one's  neigh- 
bors are  often  poor  advisers,  especially  if  the  new  farmer  is  attempt- 
ing to  do  something  which  has  not  before  been  successfully  done  in 
the  community.  The  average  farmer  is  inclined  to  discourage  inno- 
vations of  all  kinds  and  is  ready  to  predict  failure  of  new  methods 
and  of  men  new  at  the  business. 

Fortunately,  agricultural  papers  are  abundant,  and  many  of  them 
are  very  reliable  in  what  they  teach.  Every  farmer  should  take  sev- 
eral of  these.  Some  of  the  best  farm  papers  relate  to  general  farm- 
ing, while  almost  every  phase  of  farming  is  discussed  by  special 
journals.  For  instance,  there  are  numerous  journals  devoted  to  poul- 
try, and  practically  every  kind  of  stock  has  one  or  more  journals 
devoted  to  it.  There  are  also  good  journals  which  give  special  atten- 
tion to  truck  growing,  fruit  growing,  and  the  like.  It  is  a  good  plan 
for  the  farmer  to  take  one  or  two  of  the  best  of  the  journals  devoted 
to  general  farming  in  addition  to  a  few^  of  the  special  journals  relat- 
ing to  the  phases  of  farming  which  he  is  practicing. 

THE  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT   STATIONS. 

In  every  State  there  is  an  agricultural  experiment  station  which 
issues  bulletins  on  various  phases  of  farming.  These  bulletins  are 
sent  free  to  all  applicants  in  the  States  where  they  are  published. 
Some  of  the  stations  send  bulletins  to  farmers  in  other  States. 

UNITED    STATES    DEPARTMENT    OF     AGRICULTURE. 

In  addition  to  bulletins  from  the  experiment  stations,  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  issues  an  extensive  series  of  bulle- 
tins covering  very  many  phases  of  farming.  Most  of  these  bulletins 
are  sent  free  to  all  applicants.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  series 
known  as  Farmers'  Bulletins,  of  which  there  are  now  several  hun- 


246  YEAKBOOK   OF   THE  DEPARTMENT   OF  AGRICULTURE. 

dred.  There  is  probably  no  farmer  in  the  country  who  will  not 
find  some  of  these  Farmers'  Bulletins  highly  valuable.  Complete 
lists  of  all  the  publications  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  may  be 
obtained  for  the  asking,  and  from  these  lists  such  publications  as  are 
desired  may  be  selected. 

farmers'  institutes. 

In  practically  every  State  farmers'  institutes  are  conducted.  These 
are  meetings  of  farmers  at  which  various  agricultural  questions  are 
discussed.  The  speakers  are  usually  practical  farmers  who  have 
made  a  distinct  success  of  their  work,  or  trained  agriculturists  who 
have  a  wide  knowledge  of  agricultural  conditions  in  the  State. 
The  most  experienced  farmer  finds  these  institutes  of  great  value. 

MOVABLE   SCHOOLS   OF  AGRICULTURE. 

In  some  sections  of  the  United  States  traveling  instructors  are  pro- 
vided either  by  the  State  or  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Ag- 
riculture. This  is  especially  the  case  in  the  cotton-growing  States 
and  in  dairy  communities  in  the  Northern  States.  Some  of  the  States 
maintain  traveling  dairy  schools,  which  go  about  from  place  to 
place  giving  a  short  course  of  practical  demonstrations  in  the  han- 
dling of  milk,  the  manufacture  of  butter,  the  use  of  dairy  apparatus 
and  machinery,  etc.  These  demonstrations  are  usually  accompanied 
by  lectures  on  the  feeding  and  care  of  dairy  cows  and  other 
kindred  topics.  In  a  good  many  of  the  corn-growing  States  in  re- 
cent years  special  corn  schools  have  been  held  during  the  winter  sea- 
son, when  the  farmers  can  best  attend  them.  As  the  price  of  farm 
land  rises  and  the  original  fertility  of  the  soil  is  exhausted,  schools 
of  this  character  become  more  and  more  necessary.  There  will  un- 
doubtedly be  an  extensive  development  of  instruction  of  this 
character  in  the  near  future. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 

In  addition  to  the  sources  of  information  already  outlined, 
farmers  can  usually  secure  much  valuable  information  by  corre- 
spondence with  the  state  agricultural  colleges  and  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture.  A  number  of  the  agricultural  colleges 
maintain  correspondence  courses  in  agriculture.  There  are  also 
some  private  schools  which  do  the  same.  Xearly  all  of  the  agri- 
cultural colleges,  at  some  time  during  the  winter  season,  offer  special 
short  courses  in  practical  agriculture.  The  expense  of  attending 
these  short  courses  is  nominal,  and  the  information  to  be  gained 
makes  attendance  well  worth  while.  Such  courses  are  of  more  help 
to  the  experienced  farmer  than  they  are  to  the  beginner,  for  the 
reason  that  the  information  given  can  not  be  assimilated  without 
some  farm  experience. 


FARMING  AS  AN   OCCUPATION   FOR.  X3ITY-BRE9"MEK,;  ,  ,  >  .^47 

AGRICULTURAL    HIGH    SCHOOLS    AND    COLLEGES. 

The  agricultural  high  schools  and  colleges  have  already  been  men- 
tioned. In  recent  years  the  attendance  at  these  schools  from  the 
cities  has  shown  a  marked  increase,  and,  where  one  has  the  means,  it 
is  an  excellent  plan  to  take  a  course  at  such  an  institution  before  at- 
tempting farming.  While  taking  this  course  it  is  highly  desirable 
that  the  student  spend  his  vacations  at  farm  work. 

BOOKS   ON   FARMING. 

The  number  of  books  published  relating  to  various  phases  of  farm- 
ing is  very  extensive ;  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  the  farmer  is  at  a  loss 
to  know  what  books  to  buy.  He  can  secure  much  valuable  advice 
on  this  point  by  corresponding  with  the  agricultural  colleges  and  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

DEPARTMENTAL  AND  PRIVATE  AID. 

A  few  years  ago  there  was  established  in  the  Bureau  of  Plant  In- 
dustry of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  an  Office 
of  Farm  Management.  In  many  cases  the  employees  of  this  office 
are  able  to  render  valuable  service  to  farmers  by  way  of  advice  con- 
cerning types  of  farming  to  undertake,  equipment  to  buy,  crops  to 
grow,  the  relative  acreage  of  these  crops,  how  to  secure  good  seed, 
etc.     Eepresentatives  of  this  office  are  found  in  most  of  the  States. 

More  recently  a  number  of  men  have  established  themselves  as 
agricultural  experts,  who  visit  farms  and  give  advice  on  many  phases 
of  farm  management,  charging  fees  for  such  services. 


While  it  has  been  necessary  in  this  article  to  dwell  more  particu- 
larly on  the  difficulties  confronting  the  family  who  would  change 
from  some  other  business  to  farming,  the  advantages  of  farming 
must  not  be  overlooked.  In  the  first  place,  the  farmer,  if  he  is  at 
all  successful,  has  no  fear  of  being  displaced.  He  commands  his 
own  time  and  leads  an  independent  life.  In  the  second  place,  if  he 
is  wise,  he  may  himself  produce  nearly  all  the  food  necessary  for  his 
family.  He  may  maintain  a  good  garden,  an  orchard,  a  flock  of 
poultry,  keep  a  few  cows  and  pigs,  and  grow  most  of  his  own  bread. 
If  the  wife  and  daughters  know  how  to  prepare  food  in  an  appe- 
tizing manner  and  understand  how  to  be  frugal,  the  actual  money 
expense  for  the  farm  living  may  be  made  very  small,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  standard  of  living,  from  the  standpoint  of  food,  may 
be  much  higher  than  is  possible  even  with  wealthy  people  in  the  city. 

The  income  from  farming  depends  more  upon  the  farmer  himself 
than  it  does  upon  any  other  one  factor.    An  intelligent  man  who 


2kJ:S       ,     YEAii^OOK   OF   THE  DEPAKTMENT   OF   AGRICULTUKE. 

must  depend  upon  his  own  labor  may  live  well  on  the  farm  after 
he  has  acquired  a  satisfactory  knowledge  of  the  business.  If  he  can 
command  considerable  capital  he  may  profit  by  the  labor  of  others, 
and  if  his  capital  is  large  enough  and  he  is  a  good  business  manager 
he  may  live  even  luxuriously.  But  the  beginner,  even  with  consider- 
able capital,  must  be  prepared  to  bear  some  hardships  while  he  is 
learning  the  business. 

O 


(Taylord  Bros. 

Makers 
vSyracuse,  N,  V 

PAT,  JAN.  21.  1908 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


BDD3D0S'107 


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S  ^-z. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAIvIFORNIA  lylBRARY 


